Dishonored Equestria
by DunnyFTWaffles
Summary: (THIS HAS LITTLE TO NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SHOW!) Canterlot a shadow of it's former glory after a plague kills hundreds and sends the city into a state of dismay. The Emperor is killed and the Lord Protector; Pen Sketch, is framed sentenced to execution. When he escapes, will he save the Emperor's Daughter Celestia and return her to the throne? Or will he go mad with revenge?
Dishonoured Equestria

Written by Jacob Dunn

CHAPTER: Prologue

I looked through the keyhole to the Distillery. Jagged Jaw was barking orders at his men to guard all entries and exits. He knew I was coming, but there was no way he could be prepared for what I was about to do. I gently tugged at the door, locked, but not unbreakable. It still felt weird to not use magic using my horn, but I should've felt lucky that I still had magic in the first place. One of the guards must've heard the tugging, as he started to call his mates. Well, so much for the stealthy approach. I sort of felt sorry for the pony on the other side of the door as it shattered under the power of my Windblast. The door cracked into large splinters that pierced through the pony's hooves, torso and luckily, his neck. He had already fallen when another thug started ringing one of the alarm sirens. I pulled out my crossbow and fired a bolt, which flew straight through his head, causing a nice little swish and squish as he fell to the ground. Unfortunately the deed had already been done and the alarm was wailing, no amount of rewire tools could stop that. A large group of around 10-15 stallion thugs surrounded me, with Jagged Jaw revealed to be one of them. He grinned evilly as he boasted "Don't feel too bad that we caught you Assassin. Nopony gets this far into my turf, so consider yourself lucky!" I was silent, I let him continue on with his brag fest, it would be the last thing he ever enjoyed anyway. "Too bad we have to kill you, I mean your skills in combat were outmatched back in the day, weren't they Pen?" Jaw didn't see my grin underneath the unsettling mask I wore, he also didn't see my hoof mark glowing faintly. He was going to die, whether he made it easy for me or not. I raised my hoof in the air and time slowed to a halt as I threw a grenade and launched a windblast behind it. When time would resume, this would make one nasty mess, well, if it hit that is.

CHAPTER 1: The Good Old Days

I looked up at Canterlot Castle, its shiny and clean exterior had no competition when it came to aesthetics. The interior was even better, grand halls filled with chandeliers and paintings that hung on every wall of the two Princesses and their Alicorn Emperor Father; Solstice. I walked down the main hall, which seemed to be the most majestic out of all the rooms I had seen in the Castle (Even though admittedly, I hadn't seen a lot of them…) Strangely, all three thrones were empty within The Throne Room, which was where Emperor Solstice had asked me to meet him after my voyage to the Crystal Kingdom. One of the Royal Guards walked up to me, saluting as he greeted me in a stern yet respectful tone "I commend you on your swift return Lord Sketch. The Emperor is waiting in the Courtyard with Princess Celestia."

I nodded and proceeded to the Courtyard, which in my opinion was the most beautiful area in all of Canterlot, maybe even the whole of Equestria. I had so many memories of spending time with the Emperor's two unicorn fillies here, playing with them and telling them stories of my travels across Equestria. Celestia was always eager to play, taking any free moment I had so that I could play "Chase" or "Hide and seek" with her. Luna however, was a quieter mare. She did enjoy spending time with other ponies but whenever I was around, she seemed to just want to hear stories of my far off travels and read me stories she wrote on her own. Emperor Solstice and I usually would just sit down and share a short moment drinking tea and discussing the current state of Equestria or just the weather. I looked around at the gardens, all of the bushes twisting and turning throughout the yard were lined with beautiful flowers such as crimson roses, golden buttercups and midnight dark violets. A pure white gazebo rested in the middle of the yard, lying at the top of a flight of stairs. "Ah, Pen. You've finally returned from the Crystal Kingdom, how have you been?" Emperor Solstice said with a smile. I shrugged with a smile on my face, I couldn't complain really, being in the Courtyard always seemed to get me in a good mood, no matter how dire the situation. It was apparent that the Emperor had already noticed me before I had walked up the stairs. He had said I had a reputation for being sneaky but I hardly found that evident, considering he and the Princesses always spotted me whenever I was around the Castle. Perhaps they just knew my Hoofsteps too well? I noticed a warm smile on his Daughter Celestia's face as I handed Emperor Solstice the letter I had received from King Sombra. He read through the letter rather quickly and sighed in a slightly frustrated manner. Celestia immediately picked up on this and inquired as to what was wrong "Father, is something wrong? You seem sad". He shook his head and a slight smile shone from his face as he tried to sugar coat the situation. I already knew what was going on, a plague had spread through rats that appeared throughout Canterlot and was starting to take the lives of innocent ponies. I turned to look over the city of Canterlot, it had certainly seen better days. It was once a bright and vibrant city where ponies would overdress for a simple meeting with a friend and buy the most obscene and pointlessly expensive meals. Canterlot was still the place to be, regardless of all the posh "up themselves" ponies that thought they owned the place. Nowadays however, those ponies must've gotten a taste of reality when the plague hit. Businesses were shut down, families were urged to stay indoors and avoid interaction with neighbours, and if anypony you knew or cared about was infected you had to report them! No ifs, ands, or buts. Yeah, Canterlot had definitely taken a turn for the worst, that's why Canterlot Castle was such a sacred and astonishing place nowadays, it was the only piece of Canterlot that had stuck with the best parts of the past and also contained the best parts of the present. It was the only place I truly felt at home. Celestia and Luna had always felt like little sisters to me, and Solstice had always felt like my father figure. I had some damn good memories with this family, even though I wasn't part of it myself. I had been Lord Protector of the Royal Family for 10 years now and I apparently had been doing a good job, nopony had ever gotten close to killing the Emperor or his Fillies, nor did I intend for anypony to get that pleasure.

CHAPTER 2: From Riches to Rags to Revenge

It all happened so fast. I couldn't do anything to stop them. A group of three masked ponies' teleported from one of the towers of the Castle onto the Gazebo. This amazed me at first, teleportation spells had become somewhat of a rarity nowadays, requiring stronger magic users to cast it, nonetheless learn it. I snapped myself out of my astonishment, protecting the royal family came first. I pulled out my blade using my horn to levitate it in front of me and the two royals. The stallions pulled out their own blades and in unison attacked us, mainly aiming at the Emperor. I managed to use my sword to block most of their attacks, a few slashes hit me, leaving large gash wounds in my flesh. I used the last of my strength to aim an attack at the stallion who seemed to be the head honcho, commanding the other two when to attack us. I sliced right through his body which seemed to have the texture and density of smoke, I panicked which made him show a devious grin as he kicked me in the face causing me to fall and succumb to the great pain I felt all over my body. I could only watch as the Emperor tried to defend the Princess, but had his neck sliced right through in return. The two other assassins grabbed the filly and teleported off with their leader, leaving me with the body of Emperor Solstice. I couldn't believe it, the great Emperor had been assassinated. Several guards came running up to the Gazebo, only to find me crying over the body of Solstice. They drew their swords and pointed them at me, to which I stood up and rose my two forehooves in the air. The High Overseer; Stamp Belle walked up to me with a fire burning her eyes. "Pen Sketch, you are hereby arrested for the murder of Emperor Solstice and the disappearance of Princess Luna. You are a despicable pony Pen, the Emperor trusted you with his life, and you took it from him… Now where's Princess Celestia?!" I couldn't answer so I looked down at the ground, now stained with blood. Whose? I couldn't tell and I couldn't care.

I was thrown into the tiny prison cell. My new home. I landed in a murky puddle of pony and rat filth. My coat was stained with blood and mud, my dignity stained more so. I lay there limp and lifeless, I wished I was dead at that point. I had failed as the Lord Protector of the Emperor Solstice. He was dead because of my incompetence. Those ponies, those assassins that killed him and stolen away Celestia, they left me alive for a reason. I didn't have any idea why at that point, I was too overtaken with grief. I had known Solstice for a long time, years in fact. I had protected him from multiple assassination attempts but this time it was different. What was that pony? He was intangible whenever I swung my sword but oh so real whenever he hit me. The wounds he had inflicted upon me had already been healed due to the healing elixir the Royal Guards had forced me to drink on my way here, to prevent me from fainting from blood loss I guess. As I drifted to sleep, (the Elixir had many side effects, including fatigue) Stamp Belle walked into my cell with another guard that wore the signature mask of an Overseer, the religious tyrants of Canterlot nowadays. I tried to force myself awake and plead my innocence but the elixir overpowered me, shutting off my senses and sending me into a deep, deep slumber.

I woke up to a searing pain on my chest and on my forehead. I yelled out in agony as my blurry vision adjusted to the bright light in my face. I was in the interrogation room of the Canterlot Prison. By far this was my least favourite part of Canterlot, it was certainly the goriest place and was completely devoid of hope. Anypony who came in, had a very slim chance of coming out with all four limbs and a few teeth. Hell, you'd be considered lucky if you still had your tongue! The burly overseer pony looked down onto me with a sick twisted grin on his face. He was levitating a searing hot iron onto my left hoof, every time I screamed his smile only grew larger. Stamp Belle was standing next to him, asking me questions, or at least I guessed she was, I couldn't hear her over my screaming. Eventually she left, muttering something to the Overseer which brought a frown to his face and a pistol to my forehead. I didn't care what that stallion was about to do, but if he was going to shoot me, he'd better get it over and done with. I suddenly heard a voice from the back of the room and he must've heard it too. He walked over to the general location of the voice, drawing his pistol and sword. I only saw a bright light and the decapitated body of the overseer drop to the floor. I felt my hooves freed from their restraints, I turned to thank whoever had given me their mercy but nopony was there. I heard a conversation between two ponies, most likely guards, approaching slowly. I looked around the room for an escape, only to find none. Then I remembered the Overseers weapons. I tried to use my horn to levitate them off of the ground but I couldn't cast the spell! I panicked, the ponies were drawing closer. I quickly decided to use the blade, the only weapon I could use with my hoof. I also saw a healing elixir on the corpse's belt, grabbing that and a similar looking flask but instead of a red liquid, inside contained a glowing blue substance. I grabbed it for just in case and noticed the two ponies walk into the room, slipping behind the torture chair just before they could spot me. To my misfortune, they were indeed guards. They didn't notice the Overseer's body as it was in the corner of the room in the shadows but they did notice his absence. One of them decided to check behind the chair, big mistake on his part as I grabbed him and slit his throat with my new blade. As wrong as it felt to do this, I had to. I was innocent of the Emperor's murder and I had to prove it. Luckily the guard went down silently, so the other guard was none the wiser as I crept up behind him and repeated the process. I hid the bodies (including the Overseer's) in a closet filled with torture instruments and devices. I shuddered as I saw a rather crude and rust covered hook blade hanging in the closet, was this all really necessary to get a criminal to talk? I mean just being here would be enough to get anypony to excrete their bodily fluids upon waking up here. That's when I walked by a cracked mirror and saw why I couldn't cast my levitation spell. At first I thought it was a side effect of the elixir but no, the Overseer had cut my horn off, leaving a miserable looking stub in its place. Enraged I went back to the headless body and thrusted my blade into his chest repeatedly until the anger subsided. "Damn it!" I groaned to myself, I had always relied on magic in combat situations, how would I get out of this damn prison without it? I sat there for a moment, devoid of all confidence. I looked at the bodies and then realised, if I snuck around, I wouldn't have to use magic to survive. At first I decided against this, stealth had never been a key skill of mine. I remembered playing hide and seek with Celestia and Luna, both of which found me first every round. Still, it wasn't like I had a choice, it was either I sneak out, or I die trying. Let's go with the former.

I left the room with almost too much enthusiasm, that place was much too disturbing for my taste, too much blood and amputated pony limbs. The room I had just walked into was filled with imprisoned ponies, all locked away with depressed expressions practically frozen on their faces. I still had my blade drawn, ready for any guard to come at me. This must have made me look like a guard, as a few prisoners started cowering in the corners of their cells, quivering and whispering things like "Please don't hurt me" and "Why do I deserve this?" I ignored all of this, it wasn't any of my business that these ponies were locked up. That's when I contradicted myself upon seeing a little filly in a cell, tears staining her cheeks and scars covering her body. I immediately felt bad for this poor filly, whatever she had done couldn't have been worth locking her away and torturing her over. I saw that the lock was rusted and could easily be broken with a few good swings from my sword, but it might attract attention. It was so tempting to smash the lock but then I thought for a moment, maybe one of the guards had a key for it. The two I had already killed didn't have any, much to my dismay after rummaging through their belongings countless times. I did however, find a note that said:

"My dear, dear Brother –

It has been many moons since we had last seen each other. I yearn for our paths to cross again someday." I looked away for a moment, looking at the body I had looted. Now I felt bad, this stallion had a family and I killed him. I felt like the scum of Equestria, most rightfully deserved if you ask me. I continued reading the letter:

"I have recently been given a promotion working for the Royal Scientist; Red Bandage. She gave me a stockpile of her Healing Elixirs and I thought I could give you some. Unfortunately the Castle has denied my requests to see you or to bring elixir into the Castle Grounds. So I left them in the bushes nearby the entry to the sewer, hopefully they are still there. I wish you the best of luck in your new career and I hope to see you before the Mistress' Party this Week. Yours truly, Clumsy Pencil." For some reason, that name felt familiar. I shrugged it off and proceeded onto the next room, it was the barracks of the royal guards. I felt sweat pour down my brow as I assessed the situation. It was only around 6 guards, all armed with one pistol and one blade each. They all patrolled around the room periodically, except for three that were sitting at a table in the centre of the room playing a card game that seemed to be a modified version of Blackjack. I quickly ducked behind a crate and moved behind one of the tall pillars that were lined up in the room. I saw a guard facing away from me, so I quickly disposed of him and dragged his body behind the pillar. I peeked around the pillar and noticed one of the guards nearby, I quietly whistled, only loud enough so he could hear. He started walked towards me, where I subsequently stabbed him and placed him on top of his "friend". I looted the two bodies, coming out of it with two pistols, 10 bullets each and another blue filled flask. I loaded the pistols (which carry around 2 bullets each before having to reload. I managed to hold the two pistols in my hooves and swung out from behind the pillar, shooting at the ponies sitting at the card ridden table. I shot two down no problem and wasted two of my bullets on the third pony as I missed the first shot. Then I remembered the last patrolling guard, who was standing across the room staring at me angrily. He had his pistol aimed right at my head, blade at the ready as well.

Now at this point, time felt like it had slowed down. I saw the bullet explode from the guard's pistol, coming straight for me. But that was when I saw my saviour; a hooded pony with a face mask that ran chills down my spine due to its creepy appearance. The pony had seemingly teleported in from nowhere and fired what looked like a crossbow bolt at the bullet, hitting it with amazing accuracy and effectively saving my life. That's when they turned to the guard and fired another bolt, piercing his helmet and going straight through his skull. He fell to the floor cold and lifeless. I was about to thank the pony, but they had already disappeared. This was starting to get creepy, and a little annoying considering I couldn't show my gratitude to this "Mystery Pony".

CHAPTER 3: The (Not so) Great Escape

A few minutes later and I had looted all of the bodies in the room, finding the key on one of the ponies that were sitting at the table. I returned to the prison cell holding the filly and unlocked it. She looked up at me fearfully, but as soon as I sheathed my weapons she looked much more comfortable. I kneeled down to her head height and was about to assure her that she was safe, but she hugged me tightly before I could say anything. I blushed at the sudden embrace, it reminded me too much of Celestia running up to me after a long voyage and hugging me around the neck as soon as I came within her reach. "I saw you kill those mean ponies in the scary room Mister. That was very mean but you must have been scared so I forgive you. Just don't do it again!" I looked at her confused, which queued her to point in the direction of the Torture room. I nodded and said warmly "You won't be going back there, you're safe now. I will protect you while you're with me, don't worry." She smiled, which it seemed she hadn't done in a long while. She ran down the hall, beckoning for me to follow. Her name was Dusty Roads, daughter of Uncharted Roads; the famous Map Maker and Inventor who recently disappeared, assumed dead by most. She told me more about why she was in the Prison in the first place "I was looking for my Mother in a scary looking District filled with the Mean Ponies. I was caught by one of them, he was yelling something about trees passing in a weird accent and something else. I can't remember, I was so scared. He took my lucky charm when we got here and threw it in some fancy box." I asked about her lucky charm and she explained. It was apparently a weird disc carved out of changeling bone with a strange symbol painted onto it. I promised her that we would grab it before leaving the Prison, bringing a happy and giddy expression to her face. I noticed two guards ahead further down the hall and unfortunately, so did them for us. I nudged Dusty to the side and pulled out my sword, ready to fight. I hadn't forgotten what Dusty had said but there was no other option that wouldn't end in bloodshed now. The stallions ran up to me and pulled out their own blades, both swinging at the same time. I blocked at the last second, countering their blows and staggering them. I sliced through the first guard's stomach, leaving a large slash wound and stabbed the other guard's chest, effectively ending his life. The first guard fell to his knees, sword on the floor and coughing up blood. I was about to thrust my blade into his neck when Dusty grabbed my waist, pulling me away. "No Mister! Please don't!" She screamed in fear. I turned to her, blade still right above the guard's throat. I saw the desperation and fear in her eyes as she tried with all her might to stop me from ending this poor guard's life. I looked at my hooves, covered in blood. What was I doing? These ponies were on my side in the beginning and most likely still were! I holstered my sword and hugged Dusty "Thank you Dusty, I was so angry I didn't realise." She was a little taken aback by my sudden apology, but she accepted and hugged me back, tears running down her face. I felt like a monster, having her witness such brutality. I dropped an elixir by the guard and ran down the hall with Dusty on my shoulders so she didn't have to keep up. I thought about what had just transpired, what if the guard alerted the others to our location? Instead of heading back to finish the job I trusted Dusty's judgement and hoped to the stars that the guard would grant us mercy. I ran into a side room just as a few guards turned a corner into the hall on a patrol. Inside this room was several of those "fancy boxes" that Dusty had described. It turned out, these "fancy boxes" were actually safes, all ripe for the picking. Unluckily, most of them were locked with three digit combos, all except for one. I opened it and when I did, Dusty was overjoyed "My charm!" She cheered happily as I handed it to her. Inside was also a strange looking homemade bomb. I asked Dusty if it was hers but she denied any ownership. I shrugged and took it, it might come in handy, I thought to myself with a chuckle escaping my mouth.

A large explosion echoed through the room. The good news was the front gate to the Prison was open now, the bad news was that the Drawbridge was already being pulled up, preventing our easy escape. Several guards were rushing at Dusty and I, all armed to the teeth and itching to tear us apart. Dusty panicked and started asking rapid fire "What are we going to do?" I closed my eyes and ran for the gate, knowing whole heartedly that there was no other way. I dived into the water with Dusty holding on for dear life. As I surfaced I was relieved to see Dusty still holding onto me, she looked less than pleased with me but at least we were still alive. Maybe using that homemade bomb to open the gate wasn't such a good idea, considering I could have knocked out a guard or two to find the key to the console and open it properly. I swam for a small piece of land that was around a metre or two of mud and stone that stuck up out of the water. Dusty panted heavily, as did I, we were both so happy to be out of that wretched place. Unfortunately it wasn't the end of our struggle, we were only out of the Prison, finding a place that was safe for escapees like us was going to be significantly harder. "I can't believe we did it!" Dusty whispered between breaths, I nodded in agreeance and smiled at the filly. "Do you have a place to go after we get off this mud pile Dusty, a father to return to?" I asked, which I soon regretted as I saw a tone of sadness in her eyes and a quiver in her voice "N-No, that's why I went looking f-for Mother. I have nopony other than her…" Her voice trailed off as tears rolled down her cheeks. I wiped away her tears and told her warmly "You're welcome to come with me until we find a safe place, does that sound okay?" She sniffled, smiling as she held my hoof which was still on her face. She eventually nodded and we both decided it was high time we got off the small island and started heading back into Canterlot. We had a big journey ahead of us but I somehow knew we would manage. There was something about Dusty that gave me hope, something that drove me to continue. Whatever it was, it definitely helped motivate me. I was going to find this filly a safe place to live with somepony to look after her, then find the assassins that killed the Emperor and fillynapped Celestia and kill them. It was my job to protect the royal family, emphasis on "was", now it was now my goal to avenge the dead Emperor and save his daughter. Those Assassins would not get away with this. I was well aware this was going against my promise to Dusty, but they deserved nothing less than death.

CHAPTER 4: Welcome to the Pon-3 Hits Club

It had been a whole day since Dusty and I had escaped from the Prison. We had made our way through most of the sewers which was infested with rats by the way. It didn't help that bodies were constantly being dropped from the surface into the canals below, other than they made perfect bait for the rats to chow down on instead of us. Dusty was surprisingly calm for the most part, maybe because there were no guards down there. I looked up at Dusty with a smile, she seemed quite optimistic, pointing out the happy things we came across rather than the bad. She smiled back at me and asked "Where do you think we'll be able to hide for a while? We can't hide down here, it's a little scary." I nodded, the sewer was definitely a creepy place, what with all the corpses and disease infested vermin. As we turned a corner I spotted the "Mystery Pony" again, dropping a bag into black and gold chest. I was about to call out to them but Dusty covered my mouth. "She looks scary, be careful Mister" I gently pulled her hoof away from my face and nodded, walking up slowly towards the pony. Surprisingly, the pony hadn't noticed us until I was around a metre away, to which they turned around and vanished before our eyes, leaving only small specks of glowing ash floating in the air. Dusty was speechless, I doubt she had seen such magic before. I had only seen it three times in my life myself, but I had only seen it performed by the masked assassins and the "Mystery Pony". To be honest, I was extremely jealous of these ponies. I noticed Dusty was looking curious at the chest, and I admit I was too. I walked up to chest, careful not to set off any traps there may have been scattered around like in the rest of the sewers, I guess they have to get rid of the rats somehow. I still hated the Springrazors they used however, stupid things made me waste an elixir and Dusty nearly fell off of my shoulders into the canal! Anyway, I opened the chest slowly, feeling like Daring Do as I pulled out the bag and held it above my head. Dusty chuckled at my strange behaviour and opened the bag while I held it upwards. We sat down and placed the bag in between us, searching through its contents. Inside was two elixirs (One red, the other the strange blue elixir), a Springrazor (Oh Joy…), a strange looking Crossbow that looked eerily similar to the Mystery Pony's version and a note. I looked at the note first, it read:

"Attention Lord Protector –

You have very little time, the Royal Guard is about to flood the sewers to purge most of the Rats (Or so they think…). Take everything in this chest and follow the canal until you see the light. There will be an old stallion waiting for you in a boat. Tell him "The moon rises full in a week" He will take you and the filly to safety.

There is much for you to do, come find me in the old Pon-3 Hits Club, you'll know it when you see it. I must end this letter here, you have to run now.

I shall see you soon…"

"It isn't signed" I murmured to myself, but there was no doubt in my mind this was the "Mystery Pony". I gathered all of the items they had left us and started stretching, it had been a little while since I had really ran for my life. I picked up Dusty and told her to hold tight. Her voice was drowned out by a wave of water rushing closer to our destination from around the corner. I ran as fast as I could, doing my best not to look back. Dusty was gripping onto my neck and shoulders tightly, I think she was as afraid as I was for her wellbeing. Even though I hadn't known this filly long, I still wanted her safety, maybe it was my former Lord Protector title commanding me. I jumped, ducked and weaved through the sewers, narrowly avoiding pipes and shaking off rats that gripped onto my hooves and coat. I heard the water pouring through, closer and closer to sweeping me off my hooves and drowning us. I yelled out to nopony in particular "Where in the Hell is the light?!" Dusty replied with equally confused shouts. The last thing I heard before tripping over a small slab of concrete that protruded from the ground was the loud rush of water and Dusty screaming. After that, nothing, black.

I woke up with sharp stinging pains all over my body, mainly in my limbs. My eyes also stung from the sudden burst of light I was exposed to. The sun? But didn't I… I heard a knock from a door to the left of the bed I was sitting in. A unicorn mare opened the door, her warm and calming smile immediately making my wounds seem like nothing major at all. I noticed I wasn't wearing any clothes, causing me to immediately blush brightly. This was highly embarrassing, especially in the presence of such a breathtaking mare. She walked up to my bedside and pushed me gently back down and pulled off the covers, exposing my… privates. This caused me to blush further as I had no idea of her intentions. As I prayed not to grow erect, I realised that she was simply applying healing magic to my crippled hind legs. She looked up at me and said rather sternly "You really should be more careful Mister Sketch. More wounds like this and it'll take more than a few elixirs and simple healing spells to save you." I looked away from her, unable to form words. I finally decided on a sentence and stuttered "I-I'm sorry Madam." She smiled again and continued to cast more healing spells to various parts of my body. I immediately felt better after her horn left the vicinity of a wound, so she clearly knew what she was doing, and I was oh so grateful for it. I started to drift off, most likely the elixirs kicking in, but the mare nudged me to keep me awake. She told me with a quiver in her voice "Your little filly friend. She is asleep downstairs, been there for a while. She hasn't woken up since we found her" I thanked her and asked the kind doctor her name with a slight stutter in my voice. She smiled at me again, I believe she finally noticed the blushing. She giggled (and adorably at that) and said "My name is Healing Heart, or Dr Heart. It's a pleasure to meet the Lord Protector himself, Pen Sketch." For some reason, it stung inside to hear those words: Lord Protector. I felt no longer worthy of the title after what had happened. Heart had picked up on my sudden change in mood "Hey, it's not your fault that the Emperor died. Those assassins were far too powerful for any normal guard or even the Lord Protector. I bet if you had even only half the powers they had, you would've been ten times better than them!" Although this didn't really make me feel better, I appreciated her intentions of boosting my self-esteem.

I walked downstairs to the room Dr Heart had told me about. And sure enough, I eventually found Dusty through the sea of sickly and injured fillies and colts (Not to worry, I had my clothes on at this point). It was astonishing how many children were there in the small Ward that Healing Heart had started up again ever since the takeover of Canterlot, courtesy of High Overseer Stamp Belle. She had anointed the Spy Master as the new Emperor, a stallion by the name of Lord Gentle, an unfitting name indeed, as I had learnt from years of work with him. Anyway, Dusty was awake but still seemed a little groggy. She had bruises and cuts all over her front legs and back. I remembered the flooding, she most likely fell off of my back and hurt herself upon falling to the ground. She looked up and looked overjoyed, hugging me as I walked up to her. She beamed "Mister Protector! You're awake!" She must have heard my title from Dr Heart. I hugged her back, smiling brightly as well, I told her "It's good to see you are alright. The doctors didn't hurt you did they?" I know this question was stupid and unlikely, but I had to be sure I could trust them. She giggled and shook her head "No silly Mister! These ponies are nice ponies! They took care of you while you were sleeping and put some cloth on my Ouchy Spots" I noticed the bandages she had described. I sighed in relief, at least these ponies weren't out to kill us. I heard a gentle rain start tapping on the tin roof. Dusty asked me curiously "What are you gonna do now Mister Protector?" I looked at the filly and shrugged, replying blankly "I'm not sure, maybe I'll go talk to somepony about the Emperor." She nodded and said a very cute goodbye, she was grateful for my help, which was clear to me once she hugged me. I saw a stallion walk into the Ward, he was dressed like the Royal Guard. I quickly drew my sword, ready to fight, until he raised his front hooves and assured me he was on my side. I sheathed my blade and grunted, I was paranoid around the royal guard after the Prison break. He started talking in a stern tone "You should be thankful that Seven Seas found you and the filly and brought you here. He's on the dock to the south of here, I believe you should thank him for his efforts" I wanted to ask why this pony was in a guard's uniform and why he wasn't attacking me, but instead I simply nodded and headed for the door, practically blinded by the sudden explosion of light that assaulted my eyes. It must have been weeks since I had seen the light of day! I looked at my surroundings, I was in an old part of Canterlot that was formerly the most popular District, due to the Pon-3 Hits Club being the one of the best pubs/dance clubs that Canterlot had. After all, the DJ, a stallion who went by the name DJ Pon-3 was one of the most Charismatic and Popular ponies in the whole of Equestria. I saw the club and felt an internal dance coming on, I had made it to where the Mystery Pony had wanted me to go! But first I had to see Seven Seas.

I'll admit, the first thing I expected from an old stallion like Seven Seas was not for him to point a gun to my forehead. He looked suspicious of me, barking at me aggressively to tell him "the phrase". At first I didn't have any idea what to tell him, until I remembered the letter. "The Moon rises full in a week" I said calmly, which caused SS to put away his gun and shake my hoof. "Good to see you're on our side Pen. If "She" hadn't given you that… Well it's not important, I'm Seven Seas, your Boat Escort." I smiled at him and tried to ignore the fact that he had not a moment ago threatened to blow my brains out. He continued, pointing at the top floor of the Pon-3 Hits Club "She" is waiting up there for you. I'd suggest you head up there and discuss matters regarding Lord Gentle." I remained calm on the outside and nodded but on the inside I was giddy with excitement. Every short moment I had seen the "Mystery Pony" (Or Mystery Mare now?), I was amazed by her skills. In a way, I kind of admired her now. I couldn't wait to see this pony and get some damn answers.

CHAPTER 5: As Mysterious as the Dark side of the Moon…

At first I couldn't believe my eyes. Princess Luna was sitting before me. The filly was casually humming a tune while reading a letter. I quickly bowed and addressed her as formally as I could "P-Princess Luna! H-How may I serve you?" She chuckled and replied with a lax tone, something I was not used to hearing from her "There's no need for formalities here Pen. How are you milord?" I was taken aback by this, she was the Mystery Pony? I asked her about the Pony, to which she clapped her hooves and the Mystery Pony appeared. They were so intimidating up close, I almost felt like a small child compared to them. Although I couldn't tell for sure, I felt like they were smirking at me for acting so timid all of a sudden. Luna chuckled and reassured me that the Mystery Pony was on our side. "U-Uh, so who are they exactly?" I asked, trying not to let the stammer in my voice become apparent. She explained that the Mystery Pony's name was Shadow Blade, a unicorn mare who had served as a royal guard for years. I examined Shadow Blade further and noticed a tattoo of a knife on her hoof, which she quickly covered up once she noticed me staring. "You being framed wasn't a coincidence, it was all planned by Lord Gentle and High Overseer Stamp Belle. They wanted to take control of Canterlot. You, Celestia, and Father were in the way. I wished to warn them, truly I did, but then I would be a target as well, so I ran away. But fear not Lord Protector, I have a plan to take back control and save my sister" Luna explained with a slightly anxious tone. I had to sit down and think for a moment, I had been wondering for a while where Luna had run off to, normally it wasn't an issue to leave the castle, but then again she had been missing for a week apparently. I then thought about the plan that Luna filled me in on. It was amazing how unsurprising it was that Lord Gentle betrayed the Emperor, he was always a massive scumbag. Needless to say I hated him immensely while working with him. "Luna, what would have me do?" I asked, looking through the window at the murky seascape. Luna replied in a sombre and slightly dark tone "We have no choice but to kill Lord Gentle and all of his supporters. Then we can get Celestia on the throne to take Father's place. I'm sorry Lord Sketch" My thoughts flooded with the memory of Dusty screaming for me not to kill the guard. I nodded silently and walked out, hearing Luna tell me "Head to the top of the club, the roof has been fitted to serve as your home away from home. Come find me tomorrow, I will give you your first target" Great, the one promise I actually decided to make was now soon to be broken. The only reason I was afraid of breaking the promise was Dusty herself, she would catch wind of what I had done and she'd absolutely despise me! For some reason that was the last thing I wanted at that moment.

The roof looked unimpressive compared to comfortable and well-built house I called home. I sighed, at least it would be safe here. If I tried going home the guards would surely find and kill me. I looked on the bright side, at least I had a filthy bed covered in stains to rest on and a crappy tin roof over my head. By the time I was done speaking with Luna it was already sundown. I watched as the sun faded behind the Canterlot Castle, a beautiful sight despite my current mood. I sat down on the bed in a huff, rubbing my hooves on my forehead in an attempt to relax myself and hide from my thoughts. As I rubbed my head I felt my severed horn, which was now completely useless. I cursed quietly to myself and decided a good night's sleep would at least calm me down for a few hours. After all, I had nothing better to do. I thought about my task tomorrow, it was going to be a rough day for sure, especially for whoever my target was. I almost felt sorry for the poor sod who decided to get tangled up with Lord Gentle. Whoever they were, they weren't getting off easy, dead or alive.

I awoke in a strange room. My surroundings were unclear and foggy at that moment so I could only see the silhouettes of two ponies standing over me. I tried to get up and draw my blade but I felt something restraining me and a sharp pain coursing through my left hoof. I shouted indiscriminately and tried to break free but no matter how hard I tried I could not succeed. Eventually the pain turned from excruciating to a simple numbness and my vision had begun to clear up, revealing to me that the two ponies looming over me were Dr Heart and the guard from the hospital. I was in a dark room on what felt like a wooden table. The walls were covered wall to wall with strange symbols and runes like the one that belonged to Dusty. The air was thick and reeked of blood, a smell I had become far too comfortable with over the years. Heart was reciting an old sailor's song under her breath and the guard was simply overseeing everything, mainly observing my left hoof. My gaze drifted towards my hoof and saw my cutie mark carved into it, still bright red and drowned in a pool of my blood. I growled, I was starting to feel weak and my vision was starting to blur again, so I clenched my eyes shut and yelled "What the hell are you…"

I tried to finish my sentence but when I opened my eyes, I was no longer attached to the table, which was now a concrete footpath. I stood up slowly, clenching my left hoof close to my chest. I looked around and found that the path was the only thing to stand on in a never ending void. My knees were weak and my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. The void was both beautiful and horrifying at the same time. I decided to follow the path, it was my only option at this point. The path ahead started to shift and contort into the gazebo where the Emperor was murdered and where I was framed. It looked as if time was frozen, the Emperor's body stuck in mid-air after being tossed away by the lead assassin and Princess Celestia being pulled away by another, tears streaming down her horrified face. I felt my head pound and my chest ache, would I be able to save her? I wasn't so sure anymore. I heard whispers coming from a new path, which was constructed in only a few seconds after I had relived that painful memory. It led to a small room with red velvet curtains and oddly comfortable lounges. I saw Celestia in the grasp of two well-dressed stallions who appeared to be twins. They didn't appear familiar to me, but I tried as hard as I could to remember every little detail the vision gave me, it had to be a clue.

CHAPTER 6: A Sudden rise to Power

"Going somewhere "Pet?" I turned immediately and saw a long snake like creature that beared the features of multiple creatures, similar to a chimera or manticore, but this creature seemed civilised or in the very least tame. For some reason the only thing that disturbed me about this strange mix and matched abomination was how it talked down onto me, Pet? What did it hold over me that gave it the confidence to call me a Pet? The creature's teeth were surprisingly clean and even, except for a sharp knife like fang that protruded from his upper jaw. The appearance of this creature wasn't familiar to me, so I wasn't sure if I should be afraid of this grotesque beast, it did talk however, so perhaps it could answer my questions. I looked up at the beast's eyes and asked sternly "Tell me Creature, where am I and what am I doing here?" It looked as if he was about to crack up laughing. I repeated my question, a little more impatiently than the last time. It began to cackle, which was my breaking point. I started yelling at the creature "Listen here you, you… THING! I have just been framed for murder, escaped a prison, nearly drowned and now I'm here yelling at a dumb beast who thinks my pain is funny!" I took a breath and watched the creature's grin grow even wider as it finally replied, it's creepily cheery tone made me feel uneasy all over again. "Oh I know all about you Pen Sketch, or should I say Lord Protector. But you are right, I do find your pain funny. Don't feel too special, there are others whom I enjoy watching suffer." The lead assassin was clearly visible in my head, how did the Creature make me think of him? I asked with a calmer tone, still noticeably agitated "What has "He" got to do with this?" The Creature tutted and a tea cup materialised in his claw. He took a sip and introduced himself "You come into my home, yelling nonsense at me and asking questions and you haven't even bothered to ask MY name! Lord Sketch I am hurt!" He held his chest mockingly and continued "I am Discord, the God of Chaos, Mischief and everything in between" He held out his other claw (Paw possibly?) to shake. I obliged, if he was a God I had to make sure I didn't get on his bad side. He changed the subject by grabbing my left hoof and examining the mark carefully "So you wish to bear my power? Hold on… No this wasn't your choice. It was those you trusted wasn't it?" I nodded and asked "What is this meant to be anyway? I know it's my cutie mark but I noticed something similar on a… friend of mine" Discord nodded and started reminiscing over Shadow Blade's "Marking". I managed to politely bring him back to reality and continue examining mine. "Yes it's rather shoddily carved but it summoned you here so clearly it works. Hold on a moment…" I felt like my left hoof was going to explode, the pain was 100 times worse than the Springrazor exploding on me in the sewers! Eventually the pain faded and the mark was left faintly glowing a yellow and blue hue. "W-What did you do Discord?" I asked, still recovering from the pain. He had a large grin on his face once again "You now bear my Mark. With it I grant a very small fraction of my power to you. Use it however you please, whether it be to make saving the Princess easier without harming anypony else, or simply killing everypony in your way just because you feel a little grumpy. It's entirely up to you, I'll enjoy observing either way. Now go, I believe you have a job to do…" His voice faded away and once again everything turned pitch black. I was left with my thoughts. I had powers apparently, Godlike powers! Or at least a small bit of it. This was going to make my mission so much easier, or it could lead to my doom, either way, somepony's gonna die.

CHAPTER 7: A shattered District, a shattered Stallion and a shattered Promise (Coming Soon!)


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